Xander Bogaerts has been the most consistent shortstop in the American League this season. So why isn't he among the top vote getters at the position on the MLB All-Star bracket? That was presumably MLB.com writer Will Leitch's question when he took a look at the players who deserve more from All-Star voters.
"(Bo) Bichette is leading the Majors in at-bats. But last I checked, making the All-Star team requires more than just showing up," Leitch wrote. "The shortstop position in the AL is stacked, and it's stacked with players having better years than Bichette, from Bogaerts to Carlos Correa to Correa's replacement Jeremy Peña (who's hurt) to J.P. Crawford to Corey Seager to Tim Anderson. Bichette is a nice player, and Blue Jays fans clearly like to make their voices heard. But it's tough to make a case for Bichette (.725 OPS) over any of those guys. Ultimately I'll go with Bogaerts, but I'd take a few of these guys over Bichette."
Now, that wasn't exactly a glowing review for Bogaerts, more so an indictment on Bichette's qualifications, but Leitch is absolutely right in pointing to the Red Sox slugger as the top choice in the AL.
Bogaerts leads AL shortstops in batting average, slugging percentage, doubles and total bases, yet is somehow just the third leading vote getter at the position.
American League All-Star Voting - Shortstops
1. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays: 585,744 votes
2. Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox: 528,278 votes
3. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox: 525,202 votes
A quick look at the numbers of those two players leading Bogaerts shows you exactly why the Red Sox shortstop is deserving to be the starter for the American League in Los Angeles.
If if it's not all about the numbers, you can't help but appreciate his hustle.
